Friday the 13th was unlucky for almost everyone who bought Mega Millions Jackpot tickets and hoped for a big win, as no ticket matched all the numbers. The numbers were 21, 22, 39, 59 and 68, with the gold Mega Ball showing 2.
Since no one got all the numbers, the jackpot grew to $375 million (or $226.7 million in cash) for the next drawing on Tuesday, July 17. If someone wins the pot, it will be the 10th largest jackpot in Mega Ball history.
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While no one won the jackpot, there were still 1,116,323 tickets sold by Friday night that won prizes. One lucky person who bought a ticket in Arizona had five white numbers, winning the $1 million second-place prize. Twenty-four ticket-buyers won the $10,000 third prize had four white ball numbers and the Mega Ball. Two of those 24 tickets were worth $20,000 because the ticket-buyer added the Megaplier option available in some states for an extra $1.
There has not been a Mega Millions jackpot won since May 4, when the ABC XYZ Trust in Ohio scored $142 million. A $451 million jackpot was also won on Jan. 5, 2018 by a ticket-buyer in Florida and a March 30 $533 million jackpot went to a lucky winner in New Jersey.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350. Players need to match all six numbers to win the jackpot. Winners can pick a lump-sum payment or 30 annual payments.
The biggest jackpot ever was won on March 30, 2012, when three tickets sold in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland matched the numbers for a $656 million jackpot. The second-biggest was the $648 million Dec. 17, 2013 jackpot, which went to two tickets in California and Georgia.
“Jackpot rolls are always exciting, but surpassing the $500 million mark for only the fourth time is a historic milestone,” Gordon Medenica, Mega Millions Lead Director and Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director, said in a statement in March, when the jackpot passed $500 million for only the fourth time. “Large jackpots like this one capture everyone’s attention, and it would be great to see the roll go on for a while longer. But at the same time, we can’t wait to see someone win.”
Drawings are on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tickets are sold in 44 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands and cost $2. The only states where you cannot play Mega Millions are Nevada, Utah, Alabama, Mississippi, Alaska and Hawaii.
April’s jackpot went to Richard Wahl, 47, of Vernon, New Jersey. When asked what he plans to do with the money, Wahl told reporters, “We’re a humble family and we’re going to keep our roots.”
Wahl also plans to rebuild a 1964 Corvette and wants to do charity work with his money, reports NorthJersey.com.
“For us we believe God has a plan…it’s not only life-changing money for me, we want it to be life-changing money for others. Family, friends, people in need,” Wahl said in a press conference.
Photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
